JOHNSON MOUNTAIN

Siskiyou National Forest32S-12W-3

February 13, 1914: "Johnson Mt. Area 40.00 acres. Selection was approved by the District Forester October 11, 1912. This station was used during 1913 as a headquarter camp by patrolmen. It has been improved by a combination log cabin and store house valued at $50.00. About 18 acres are enclosed by a fence valued at $94.82. There is also a shed constructed by the Coos County Fires Patrol Association in 1911, which is used as a telephone station connecting by their line to Myrtle Point and Eckley. This station is essential in carrying out the fire plan, being in a suitable place for a headquarters, since it is located at the summit of a very high mountain. Fair pasturage is afforded, but no hay will ever be cut on account of the poor quality of the soil. No water is available for appropriation. A small amount necessary for domestic use and for livestock is afforded by a small spring. The area has not been applied for under the Act of June 11, 1906." (L Stations - Siskiyou National Forest)

June 1914: "Guard J.P. Hayes will assume duties on Johnson Mountain on June 15. I shall attempt to visit his station during the early part of July. R.I. Helm, District Ranger" (The Siskiyou Bulletin)

August 1924: "Mr. H.W. Horton, who has had several years experience as scaler and assistant ranger, has taken over the Johnson Mountain lookout-fireman station." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)

October 1925: "The writer recently visited Lookout Sloan on Johnson Mountain, and found him sadly estranged from his pet mule 'Jake.' Upon inquiry, it was found that Jake had taken such a keen interest in the Forest Service that he had eaten half of Sloan's August diary and most of his fire report blanks that had been filled out. He consumed none of the empty forms though. Naturally, Mr. Sloan's ire was aroused, even though Jake's face bore a look of injured innocence. R.S. Bacon" (Six Twenty-Six)

August 1928: "The cabin at Johnson Mountain is being built on contributed time by the fireman." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)​

August 1929: "The cabin at Johnson Mountain is practically completed and ready to move into. This forms quite an improvement in the housing situation on the district and will help to increase the efficiency of the protective force." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)

1936: In a letter from the Forest Supervisor to a questionaire for a review on tower construction: "The following data is submitted for your information in regard to the time required to build a 40-foot tower out of round poles but which were connected with split rings: 30 man days for cutting and peeling poles. 12 man days for yarding poles to site with a 'cat.' 7 man days in constructing the corner blocks. This consists of hauling cement and material to the lookout site. 45 man days for framing the tower. 61 man days to raise and assemble the tower. 16 man days for catwalk, handrail and stairway. This tower was built on Johnson Mountain, and the house that had already been constructed was raised up through the center of the tower and placed on top. This took 28 man days to raise this house. All of this work was done with ERA labor."

May 1940: "Seen area from this position takes in a number of man-caused fires, and on the surface it would appear that the long season now allotted was justified. However, past fuel moisture data presents a very different picture. This is the dampest area of all those sampled in the district (also in the entire forest), having a weighted average of 11.13% for the past three years of July and August days. In this period 67% of all days had fuel moistures of 11% or over, while 50% of all days were 13% or over. Fog very probably cuts out all or most all of the visibility from this station on many days during the season. Suppression coverage is better handled from Powers." (Plans, Guard Placement, Siskiyou National Forest)

August 2, 1940: "Lloyd Hickock of Gold Beach, employed as a lookout at Johnson Mountain on the upper Sixes River, was brought to the Gold Beach hospital last week for an emergency operation for appendicitis after he failed to make his regular radio reports to the fire patrol headquarters. Hickock was scheduled to report over the radio each hour. At the time of his last few reports he made, he complained of a pain in his side, and when his reports stopped and he could not be reached by radio, a party went in to his station to bring him out." (Port Orford Post)

1941: The lookout was staffed 105 days. The reporting station was the Powers Ranger Station and communications were by the way of West Coast Telephone line.

Activated: September 30, 1942. Roseburg Filter Center.

1949: A 40-foot treated timber tower with an L-4 cab was built to replace an older tower of the same height. Another source claims it was a 60-foot creosoted timber tower.